Research and development in technologies for sensing human activity is at the forefront of an area known as human computer interaction (HCI). The term HCI refers broadly to any interaction between a computing system and a human being, and more particularly, to an interaction in which a human being communicates their intention to a computing system. One way a human being can communicate their intention to a computer system is by having the computer system sense the presence of the human being using a sensor. Examples of such sensors include a proximity sensor and a touch sensor. The desire to sense human activity and communicate human intention to a computer system is leading to the development of new technologies for enabling new types of human-computer interaction. Designing new interactive experiences is one example of a new type of human-computer interaction that exemplifies the need to develop new systems and methods for sensing human activity.
There are a number of different sensing methodologies for detecting the presence and type of human activity and interaction. A sensor is a transducer that converts a physical stimulus, such as light or motion, into a signal that can be measured. The application of the sensor depends on the physical phenomenon sought to be measured, e.g., resistance is measured in resistive touch panels, light intensity is measured in cameras and photo sensors, the direction and intensity of a magnetic field is measured in proximity sensors, acceleration is used to measure motion, and the amount of electrical charge can be used to measure a response of a multi-touch capacitive input device.
When implemented as part of a user interface, one or more sensors can be located in an input device associated with the user interface. The sensor or sensors can be worn by the user or can be embedded into objects and the environment with which the user comes into contact or proximity. Many types of sensors do not have fixed applications and can be used in a variety of applications. One area of HCI research explores using traditional sensor technology in new and creative ways. For example, while a magnetometer is typically used as a sensor for a compass, it can also be used to sense human gestures.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a sensor that can be used to measure a variety of human actions and activity, such as proximity or touch, deformation and manipulation of objects and other actions that can be used to sense the presence and intention of a human being and that can be used as part of a user interface for a computer system.